Week in Review 2-4-11
Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 2011-02-06 13:43
Our photo of the week:
Egypt was on everyone’s minds this week. Like many of you, we are following the news closely, eager to see how this movement will unfold. 2009 Echoing Green Fellow, Esra’a al Shafei’s organization Crowdvoice has created an online community with aggregated news, pictures and videos from sources around the world. Add your voice to the conversation and contribute to the dialogue. With our thoughts and prayers, our photo this week honors the people of Egypt.
Trends and topics:
This week, we were reminded of the importance of place and space in creating an environment for innovation and creativity. During our Current Fellows Conference, we spent a few days at the Livestrong headquarters in Austin, TX. The office itself is an old papermill plan on the eastside of Austin. Its location is deliberate—with Livestrong’s commitment to community, they have placed themselves in an underdeveloped part of the city. A gym, yoga room, showers and locker rooms, a jukebox, and bean bags, lots of sunlight and an open floorplan promote well-being, collaboration, and a very real sense of purpose. Their core values adorn an entire wall—and it’s a big wall—to remind everyone why they are there and what they are working towards. Does your workplace do this for you? How can you create a space that gets you excited, makes you feel good, and keeps you grounded in your purpose?
Very much in the same vein as place and space, our mission is a deep reflection of who we are and how we want to change the world. Sometimes, however, we spend a lot of time crafting a mission statement, that Dan Palotta argues, removes the yearning and soulfulness that should literally exude from that mission. So, ask yourself, do you have a mission statement, or are you on a mission?
Finally, as the social entrepreneurship sector grows and with so many new social change agents entering the space, we must purposefully think about collaboration and partnership. The December issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, however, argues that we should concentrate on collective impact—that is, how each of us can work together along a continuum of issue area. Only by connecting along this pathway will we achieve large-scale impact.
Inside Echoing Green:
We are thrilled that Cheryl Dorsey, Echoing Green’s President, was named to The Grio’s List of 100 History Makers in the Making. Have a look at the other incredible, history-changing people on the list.
We said goodbye to our beloved office manager, Jacqueline Batten, and wish her well as she follows her dream to get her hands dirty and work the land on a sustainable, organic farm on Big Island, Hawaii! We look forward to welcoming several new staff members next week.
After an inspiring four days with 92 Fellows, past and present, and invited guests, we’re energized and thrilled to be back to work in New York. We are grateful to Austin, the University of Texas, Austin, and Livestrong for being such generous hosts. Stay tuned to next week for pictures, videos, and more details from the Be Bold Summit and the Current Fellows Conference. Until then…!
